A look at Fujifilm’s XF-1: power, style, and a palatable price.

I love Fuji’s X-series; they’re incredibly powerful cameras with a gorgeous retro aesthetic. And unlike the big two and all the other also-rans, Fuji’s actually doing something different in the mid-to-high-end space. You can get a cool camera that takes amazing pictures, with a look that almost no one else has. While you won’t pay Leica prices, they can be a bit much to get into. It’s a big plunge to take.

That’s why I’m so excited about the XF1; getting the optical quality of the X-series into the hands of more people is always a great thing–but when you do it this stylishly, you’re doing it right in a big way.

The XF1 shares the same 2/3” EXR CMOS image sensor as the X10, so we know it’ll have great performance, producing beautiful shots even in low light. It’s going to feature an aluminum frame wrapped in synthetic leather that comes in three colours: black, red, and brown. The minimalist feels carries over to the controls, while there are some physical buttons, a great deal will be done in software.

There’s a 12MP sensor that shoots both RAW and JPEG images, and the XF1 can shoot Full HD 1080p video at 30 frames per seconds. Burst photos can be captured at 10 frames per second with high speed autofocus. One of the things I love about the XF1 is the pop-up flash. It just looks cool, and does a great job of illuminating shots when you need it.

The lens is another success story. While this camera has a fixed lens, it should be enough for most users – it’s a FUJINON 4x f/1.8 lens, shootings from 25mm-100mm (35mm equivalent). There’s a manual zoom ring to zoom, and the fact that it’s f/1.8 throughout makes this camera incredible appealing.

If, like me, you’ve been looking for a great pocket camera that has insanely good performance and stylish looks, you’ll want to jump on the XF1 right away.